Levy beneath his sign (Photo: Meghan Petersen)

Mike Levy gave me the all-too-rare opportunity to print the word fuck. In fact, it wasn’t easy to find a quote that didn’t include that particular expletive when I sat down to write a column about his relationship with Ben Benson’s—a steakhouse he had frequented weekly since the late 1980s—in January of last year. Levy had a sharp tongue and a throaty manner of speech that wouldn’t have been out of place at Stanwix Hall. We got along.

But a few days ago, a representative for the restaurant reached out to let me know that after a long battle with cancer, Levy had passed away; last night, there was a party at the steakhouse—a celebration that he stipulated in his will. Read more »